Women are powerless against the dominant force of men.
Even though Victorian women attempt to take responsibility and be involved in important events, they may become subjected to the authority of men. It is the men who take the dominant role in typical Victorian society, while the women would remain in the background. “She [Mina] has man’s brain-a brain that a man should have were he much gifted-and woman’s heart”(207 Stoker). While Mina is intelligent she is a woman, which takes away her chance to be useful in combating evil and getting revenge against Dracula. Also, having a woman’s heart naturally meant she was inferior, and less determined. “We men are determined-nay, are we not pledged? -to destroy this monster; but it is no part for a woman”(207 Stoker) says Van Helsing. Women in Victorian times are limited to certain roles, such as nurturer and teacher. And men, for the most part, determine these roles. They are regarded as delicate and fragile, especially emotionally. Mina’s vulnerability becomes more evident when Dracula successfully sucks her blood. “I was so frightened that I crept into bed, and pulled the clothes over my head, putting; but I have fallen asleep”(227), says Mina. Her strength was no match for Dracula. If Mina were born a man, she could have joined the men to hunt Dracula and use her abilities.
Critical Passage:
“Last night I slept, but did not dream. I must have slept soundly, for I was not waken by Jonathan coming to bed; but the sleep has not refreshed me, for today I feel terribly weak and spiritless. I spent all yesterday trying to read of lying down dozing. In the afternoon Mr. Renfield asked if he might see me. Poor man, he was very gentle and when I came away he kissed my hand and bade God bless me. Some way it affected my much; I am crying when I think of him. This is a new weakness, of which I must be careful.” (228 Stoker)
This passage appears after Mina slept in her bedroom waiting for her husband and others to return from Dracula’s castle. The significance of this passage is that it shows that Mina is becoming another victim of Dracula although she doesn’t realize it just as Lucy. She is bewildered by her unusually weak state; however, she doesn’t want to burden others with her fears. She believes that she is becoming psychologically unbalanced. This passage also shows characteristics of Victorian women, such as fragility, concerns, and sympathy for others. Although she is in a poor state, she has concern for Mr Renfield , who is a patient in a hospital. This passage once again clarifies the characteristics of Dracula’s victims and the after affects of Dracula’s influence over them.
Literary Devices:
Imagery: “The mist grew thicker and thicker, and I could see now how it cam in, for I could see it like smoke-or with the white energy of boiling water-pouring in, not through the window, but through the joinings of the door.” (227, Stoker)
His depiction of how the mist is coming into Mina’s room is not only descriptive but also leaves pictures in the readers mind. The meticulous description of the mist is clearly describes Dracula’s motion. Also, it definitely gives the reader dark and gloomy feelings which are important factors of Dracula.
Simile:
“But the pillar was composed of both the day and the night-guiding, for the fire was in the red eye, which at the thought got a new fascination for me; till, as I looked, the fire divided, and seemed to shine on me through the fog like two red eyes…” (227)
This is the description that Mina gives when she is in her room at night by herself. In this context, simile is used effectively to illustrate what the fire looked like. Two red eyes seem to give us the reader petrifying, terrifying and frightening feelings. Dracula is also depicted in the book as terrifying and frightening among human beings.
Reflection:
I think that our discussion rather went well than I had expected. One of the pros is that people were engaged with the activities that we had planned. I was able to have an experience as a judge, which was also entertaining. For example, my group, scene1, was very engaged with both of the activities. As we were engaged with our activities, we seemed to know more about Dracula than before. By thinking of the answer, each group thought about the story once again, which improved their comprehension on Dracula. When they couldn’t think of the answer, they probably realized that they should have read the book more thoroughly or with care. I think that when one person was explaining the words or phrase, one had to think about what was involved with the word or the phrase. Also on the second activities, we were able briefly look over the scene that the group had to perform. I thought that it was an effective way to learn about Dracula because it was not only entertaining but also educational. As if we were watching a movie or a play, we were able to have a basic image about the book. In other words, watching and acting out a scene, definitely improved people are basic but main understanding on scene. However, there were some people who struggle because they weren’t sure what was on the scene. It could have been better if they knew the scene well enough to act out as the characters that they chose. Overall, through the activities, people were able to know some specific details and basic themes of Dracula. While there are several pros, there are also some cons, which should be improved. One of them is that we lacked communications and consensus on few parts. For example, we were supposed to prepare for prizes but didn’t. In addition, I thought that there weren’t enough time left for the discussion to go on. If we have managed the time well, there could have been more time for people to participate in the discussion. Some people had given short and concise opinions about the questions, which reduced the seriousness of the discussion. However, they were all seemed to be engrossed with the discussion, though it lasted only few minutes. I believe that people were engrossed and engaged with the activities and the discussion most of the time.
Hijo Byeun
Theme:
Women are powerless against the dominant force of men.Even though Victorian women attempt to take responsibility and be involved in important events, they may become subjected to the authority of men. It is the men who take the dominant role in typical Victorian society, while the women would remain in the background. “She [Mina] has man’s brain-a brain that a man should have were he much gifted-and woman’s heart”(207 Stoker). While Mina is intelligent she is a woman, which takes away her chance to be useful in combating evil and getting revenge against Dracula. Also, having a woman’s heart naturally meant she was inferior, and less determined. “We men are determined-nay, are we not pledged? -to destroy this monster; but it is no part for a woman”(207 Stoker) says Van Helsing. Women in Victorian times are limited to certain roles, such as nurturer and teacher. And men, for the most part, determine these roles. They are regarded as delicate and fragile, especially emotionally. Mina’s vulnerability becomes more evident when Dracula successfully sucks her blood. “I was so frightened that I crept into bed, and pulled the clothes over my head, putting; but I have fallen asleep”(227), says Mina. Her strength was no match for Dracula. If Mina were born a man, she could have joined the men to hunt Dracula and use her abilities.
Critical Passage:
“Last night I slept, but did not dream. I must have slept soundly, for I was not waken by Jonathan coming to bed; but the sleep has not refreshed me, for today I feel terribly weak and spiritless. I spent all yesterday trying to read of lying down dozing. In the afternoon Mr. Renfield asked if he might see me. Poor man, he was very gentle and when I came away he kissed my hand and bade God bless me. Some way it affected my much; I am crying when I think of him. This is a new weakness, of which I must be careful.” (228 Stoker)This passage appears after Mina slept in her bedroom waiting for her husband and others to return from Dracula’s castle. The significance of this passage is that it shows that Mina is becoming another victim of Dracula although she doesn’t realize it just as Lucy. She is bewildered by her unusually weak state; however, she doesn’t want to burden others with her fears. She believes that she is becoming psychologically unbalanced. This passage also shows characteristics of Victorian women, such as fragility, concerns, and sympathy for others. Although she is in a poor state, she has concern for Mr Renfield , who is a patient in a hospital. This passage once again clarifies the characteristics of Dracula’s victims and the after affects of Dracula’s influence over them.
Literary Devices:
Imagery: “The mist grew thicker and thicker, and I could see now how it cam in, for I could see it like smoke-or with the white energy of boiling water-pouring in, not through the window, but through the joinings of the door.” (227, Stoker)
His depiction of how the mist is coming into Mina’s room is not only descriptive but also leaves pictures in the readers mind. The meticulous description of the mist is clearly describes Dracula’s motion. Also, it definitely gives the reader dark and gloomy feelings which are important factors of Dracula.
Simile:
“But the pillar was composed of both the day and the night-guiding, for the fire was in the red eye, which at the thought got a new fascination for me; till, as I looked, the fire divided, and seemed to shine on me through the fog like two red eyes…” (227)
This is the description that Mina gives when she is in her room at night by herself. In this context, simile is used effectively to illustrate what the fire looked like. Two red eyes seem to give us the reader petrifying, terrifying and frightening feelings. Dracula is also depicted in the book as terrifying and frightening among human beings.
Reflection:
I think that our discussion rather went well than I had expected. One of the pros is that people were engaged with the activities that we had planned. I was able to have an experience as a judge, which was also entertaining. For example, my group, scene1, was very engaged with both of the activities. As we were engaged with our activities, we seemed to know more about Dracula than before. By thinking of the answer, each group thought about the story once again, which improved their comprehension on Dracula. When they couldn’t think of the answer, they probably realized that they should have read the book more thoroughly or with care. I think that when one person was explaining the words or phrase, one had to think about what was involved with the word or the phrase. Also on the second activities, we were able briefly look over the scene that the group had to perform. I thought that it was an effective way to learn about Dracula because it was not only entertaining but also educational. As if we were watching a movie or a play, we were able to have a basic image about the book. In other words, watching and acting out a scene, definitely improved people are basic but main understanding on scene. However, there were some people who struggle because they weren’t sure what was on the scene. It could have been better if they knew the scene well enough to act out as the characters that they chose. Overall, through the activities, people were able to know some specific details and basic themes of Dracula.While there are several pros, there are also some cons, which should be improved. One of them is that we lacked communications and consensus on few parts. For example, we were supposed to prepare for prizes but didn’t. In addition, I thought that there weren’t enough time left for the discussion to go on. If we have managed the time well, there could have been more time for people to participate in the discussion. Some people had given short and concise opinions about the questions, which reduced the seriousness of the discussion. However, they were all seemed to be engrossed with the discussion, though it lasted only few minutes. I believe that people were engrossed and engaged with the activities and the discussion most of the time.